A unique method for simultaneously cleaning and disinfecting fresh agricultural produce has been developed (Israeli patent 116965). The fresh harvested produce is placed on several moving brushes and simultaneously rinsed and disinfected for 10 to 30 seconds with recycled hot water at temperatures between 50-65 degreesC, depending on the type of produce. This method was developed primarily to remove the dust from the calyx area of bell peppers in order to export the fruit to Europe and the USA. In addition to improving the general appearance of the fresh produce, hot water brushing also causes a 3 to 4 log reduction of the epiphytic pathogen population, thus significantly reducing decay development during storage and marketing. Treated fruits lost significantly less weight due to melting of the natural surface wax, which seals natural openings or invisible cracks on the peel. The short hot water rinse also increased fruit resistance against chilling injury and decay development.Today this technology is used commercially on sweet bell peppers, melons, mangoes, sweet com, kumquats, litchi, and tomatoes. Currently more than 140 units are operated in packinghouses, with a capacity of 500 kg to 30 tonnes of fresh harvested produce an hour. Postharvest losses have been reduced to less than 2%, thus saving Israeli farmers more than $15 million. In addition, new markets in Europe and northern America have been opened for Israeli commodities.

Retail packages of sweet corn (film-wrapped trays containing a pair of trimmed cobs) were stored at 2°C within additional plastic liners. The modified atmosphere (MA), generated in these nested packages by corn respiration, complied with the recommended range of 5–10 kPa CO2 and inhibited mold growth. Opening the liner after transfer to non-refrigerated conditions compensated for the respiration rise caused by elevated temperature, maintained the desirable MA range and prevented fermentation and off-flavor development. The produce kept for 2 weeks at 2°C within nested packages, and for 4 additional days at 20°C, and combined relatively low microbial spoilage with acceptable organoleptic quality, provided the liners were open at 20°C. The method was successfully tested during a trial shipment of sweet corn from Israel to Europe.

Hot water treatment was demonstrated to lower decay markedly in several citrus fruits to impart gloss and to reduce the sensitivity of citrus fruit to chilling injury. However, this water treatment is effective in a narrow range of temperatures probably because of interaction of two effects: heat inhibition of the pathogen and phytotoxic damage to the fruit.Hot water treatment was implemented in the packing house of various citrus fruits by drenching the water at the temperature aroung 55 degrees C for about 20 seconds. Several types of machines are already operating in Israel and and bring several substantial benefits. The major benefit was in the first application of an effective decay control for kumquat, which is completely environmentally friendly. This technology is particularly suitable for this fruit because the kumquat is eaten pulp and peel together. The decay reduction by the new application enabled exporting the kumquat by ship rather than by air which rendered a saving of 500$ per ton of fruit. All the export of kumquat by Agrexco, which is the major exporter of this fruit, is now hot water applied.Another important development was in the application of hot rather than cold imazalil for Valencia and other citrus fruits, which enabled the reduction of the dosage of the fungicide from 1000 to 400 ppm. The addition of gibberellins and 2,4-D to the hot water treatment improved also the decay reduction and extended the life of Marsh grapefruit for 4 months at the optimal cold storage followed by one week shelf life at 20 degrees C. The decay after this combined treatment was then about 4% whereas the nontreated fruit had 13% decay.

A rapid method for simultaneously rinsing and disinfecting fresh harvested produce using a hot‐water rinse and brushes (HWRB) was tested on Galia melon (Cucumis melo cv. reticulatus) fruit. The optimal treatment to reduce decay while maintaining fruit quality after prolonged storage and marketing simulation was 59 ± 1°C for 15 s. Trial shipments by sea transport to Europe demonstrated that treating melon with a commercial‐scale HWRB machine (3 tonnes fruit h−1) maintained significantly better overall quality of treated fruit compared with untreated fruit. Exposing spores of Alternaria alternata and Fusarium solani to 60°C for about 15 s in vitro reduced germination by 48% and 42%, respectively. Employing HWRB resulted in a 3‐log reduction in total colony‐forming units (CFU) of the epiphytic microbial population, compared with untreated fruit. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that HWRB removed soil, dust and fungal spores from the fruit surface, and partially or entirely sealed natural openings in the epidermis.

A unique and rapid method for simultaneously rinsing and disinfecting sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) using hot water and brushes has been developed (Israeli patent 116965). The efficiency of this method was tested on both laboratory and commercial scale machines with several bell sweet pepper varieties. The optimal treatment for cleaning and disinfecting pepper while maintaining fruit quality after prolonged storage and marketing simulation was found to be 55±1°C for 12±2 s. This treatment significantly improved the general appearance of the fruit, reduced decay incidence and maintained fruit firmness. The respiration rate of rinsed and cleaned fruit was significantly lower than that of untreated fruit during storage and shelf life simulation. Rinsed and disinfected sweet peppers from a commercial-scale operation (1.5 tonnes h−1) and commercial dry-brushed fruits (control) were sent from Israel to England and the overall quality examined after 15 days storage at 7°C and an additional of 4 days at 16–18°C. Treated fruits were markedly firmer and cleaner than commercial dry-brushed fruit and were almost free of rots. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that this method removed dirt, dust and even fungal spores from the fruit calyx and skin and that small invisible cracks in the epidermis were sealed, thus maintaining better keeping quality of the fruit.

The aerodynamic drag force, at a perforated rotating drum under suction, was used to separate leaves from stems. This was achieved by continuous increase of the gravitational component perpendicular to the drum surface. The force due to the gravity and centrifugal accelerations, which act against the drag force, releases the stems before the leaves. Two versions of such a drum separator were developed: one processes the material on the outer surface of the drum and the other processes it on the inner surface. The separation efficiency of each of these separators was higher than that of conventional separators. A combination of the two separators gave the best results.